The city of Aurora is looking at a $2 million grant to preserve low- and moderate-income rental properties.
The money would come from the state of Illinois’ Healthy Houses Program Grant, which is funded by federal Community Development Block Grant money that was appropriated through the CARES Act for recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
The money was additional from the usual Community Development Block Grant, or CDBG, funding. Originally, it was not available to cities such as Aurora that get their own regular CDBG entitlement.
But Chris Ragona, Aurora’s Community Services director, said the state has made the money available, and Aurora wants to take advantage of it.
Members of the City Council’s Public Health, Safety and Transportation Committee recently recommended the city apply for the money, and the City Council is expected to approve the application.
According to the program description, the money would be to “preserve multi-family, landlord-owned, low- to moderate-income units, up to six units total, and encourage neighborhood revitalization with an emphasis on maintaining health and safety.”
Ragona said the money could go toward repairing such things as heating and air conditioning, as well as duct work or other similar health and safety items.
The money would go to landlords in good standing with the city and who were impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
Ragona said there are 20,000 rental units in the city, and officials estimate the $2 million could serve between 100 and 150 individual units.
The rules of the program say that it can be used on buildings with up to six units, and that 51% of those units have to be occupied by people who meet federal low-income guidelines.
Ragona estimated that the city would actually see the money by the end of the year or mid-January 2025.
slord@tribpub.com
